Black spots on Plat? Looking for opinions/advice please.

[SimoneDi]

Hi all,

Could someone please tell me what might be causing black spots on Plat? Bad polish? Bad soldering job? Bad anything?

I don’t have the equipment to take great photos, but below are two of the better ones from this evening. I will try to borrow a camera tomorrow and take more. These black spots are all over my (new) ring (mostly in the basket).

Any ideas??

Thanks!

 

[Dancing Fire]

Could it be polishing compounds?

 

[SimoneDi]

Could it be polishing compounds?

Thanks DF...I am baffled.. just a quick confirmation - black spots” should not exist on rings, correct?

 

[rockysalamander]

Thanks DF...I am baffled.. just a quick confirmation - black spots” should not exist on rings, correct?

Absolutely not (at least not on platinum).

When you look at the ring is it associated with solder joints? Its does not look like it in the photo, but its a tough angle. That said, I agree with DF...it looks like polishing residue/compound. Do you have any sewing needles and a loupe? If so, use the needle's eye side (not the pointy side) and see if you can gently scrape it off. Patience is your friend.

 

[ac117]

I've never seen anything like that...calling expert eyes!!! Any ideas or advice?!? @denverappraiser @Texas Leaguer @Wink @Rockdiamond @oldminer

 

[SimoneDi]

Absolutely not (at least not on platinum).

When you look at the ring is it associated with solder joints? Its does not look like it in the photo, but its a tough angle. That said, I agree with DF...it looks like polishing residue/compound. Do you have any sewing needles and a loupe? If so, use the needle's eye side (not the pointy side) and see if you can gently scrape it off. Patience is your friend.

Thanks Rocky! I tried gently the needle trick and it’s somewhat working, but already “scratching” the setting even with the needle’s eye part up. However, but many of the other small “black spots” are hard to reach I can see a big black blob through my diamond that I believe is on one of the stems of the basket. That’s the one seen through the H&A viewer.

 

[PintoBean]

How long have you had this ring?

Wait... you said new? Please contact the vendor and send this back for them to inspect. If it's burns, then this shouldn't have passed QC and been sent to you.

 

[JDDN]

That is so bizarre ! Have you asked the jeweler what he/she thinks it is?

 

[SimoneDi]

How long have you had this ring?

Wait... you said new? Please contact the vendor and send this back for them to inspect. If it's burns, then this shouldn't have passed QC and been sent to you.

Thanks for the advice, Pinto! It’s barely day 5 for this ring and the first day that I actually took it out of the box. This was supposed to be a remake of a faulty setting, but honestly this is even worse than the first.

 

[PintoBean]

Thanks for the advice, Pinto! It’s barely day 5 for this ring and the first day that I actually took it out of the box. This was supposed to be a remake of a faulty setting, but honestly this is even worse than the first.

Damn. If you've already given a vendor an opportunity to remake a setting, and it STILL isn't 100%, then I would strongly suggest that you return the setting, get a refund, and part ways. The stars are not aligned for THIS relationship.

 

[SimoneDi]

That is so bizarre ! Have you asked the jeweler what he/she thinks it is?

Thanks for the feedback @JDDN! I am glad I am glad the only one surprised to see this. Unfortunately, the jeweler and I don’t seem to be speaking the same language right now, so I am trying to gather some information here. I am hoping that some of the pros will chime in

 

[ac117]

Damn. If you've already given a vendor an opportunity to remake a setting, and it STILL isn't 100%, then I would strongly suggest that you return the setting, get a refund, and part ways. The stars are not aligned for THIS relationship.

This x 100000000. Not worth the headache.

 

[SimoneDi]

This x 100000000. Not worth the headache.

@PintoBean @ac117 I appreciate the suggestions. Without going into too much detail, I tried that route even the first time around because I had lost all confidence in the vendor being able to execute a satisfactory product. The vendor insisted on a remake and now I have this. Fun.

 

[OcnGypZ]

It really does look like polishing Compound. HOT water and ammonia (50/50) and a little paint brush to get into the tight spaces ought to work.

 

[BlingDreams]

Sorry you’re still having these problems SimoneDi. The only thing I would recommend is being sure you’ve looked at the same spots from many angles. When I took a macro photo recently if my ring it looked like there were several discolored spots in the rose gold (see photo). However, when I used the loupe to examine closer, if I rotated the setting so that different light/reflections hit it then the black spots disappeared. Hopefully that’s the same for you!

 

[SimoneDi]

It really does look like polishing Compound. HOT water and ammonia (50/50) and a little paint brush to get into the tight spaces ought to work.

Thanks for the suggestion! I might bring it to a local jeweler and have them try to clean it with ammonia and hot water. Still pretty upset that this was not done before shipping

 

[SimoneDi]

Sorry you’re still having these problems SimoneDi. The only thing I would recommend is being sure you’ve looked at the same spots from many angles. When I took a macro photo recently if my ring it looked like there were several discolored spots in the rose gold (see photo). However, when I used the loupe to examine closer, if I rotated the setting so that different light/reflections hit it then the black spots disappeared. Hopefully that’s the same for you!

Thanks for commenting @ILikeShiny! I am glad that you didn’t have the same issues, it’s funny how shades and angled can sometimes play tricks on our eyes! The black spots are definitely there on my setting. I even saw some of the larger spots without a loupe and thought that it was something esily removable, but after cleaning the ring with a solution and a soft brush, they are still there..

 

[BlingDreams]

Thanks for commenting @ILikeShiny! I am glad that you didn’t have the same issues, it’s funny how shades and angled can sometimes play tricks on our eyes! The black spots are definitely there on my setting. I even saw some of the larger spots without a loupe and thought that it was something esily removable, but after cleaning the ring with a solution and a soft brush, they are still there..

Ugh. Sorry to hear that. What does the vendor say she suspects they are?

 

[SimoneDi]

Ugh. Sorry to hear that. What does the vendor say she suspects they are?

I haven’t contacted the vendor yet about this because I wasn’t sure what is it. I did contact the vendor about other issues with this setting that I am seeing. The vendor first rejected them as valid and I am yet to receive a response on my last email.

 

[PintoBean]

Sorry you’re still having these problems SimoneDi. The only thing I would recommend is being sure you’ve looked at the same spots from many angles. When I took a macro photo recently if my ring it looked like there were several discolored spots in the rose gold (see photo). However, when I used the loupe to examine closer, if I rotated the setting so that different light/reflections hit it then the black spots disappeared. Hopefully that’s the same for you!

This is different - you can see the symmetry in the reflection - and the reflection is of the user and equipment used to photograph, if that makes sense.

If your black spots are disappearing like ilikeshiny's as you move around, its a reflection thing.

But your black things look very different from hers, IMHO.

If you have not yet, make an appointment with an independent appraiser to go over the ring. S/he can give you piece of mind about the black things and also verify that there are no other structural issues. You noted above that there are other issues that you are fleshing out with the vendor. An independent appraisal is a good opportunity to have a third pair of eyes review. More importantly, they will DOCUMENT any inconsistencies and issues.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Thanks DF...I am baffled.. just a quick confirmation - black spots” should not exist on rings, correct?

IDK, polishing compound was the first thing that popped into my mind.

 

[JDDN]

Ugh. I'm so sorry you're having such a headache with your ring . I think trying the hot water and ammonia and brush is worth a try as OcnGypZ suggested. If it doesn't go away relatively easily with that method then you don't really have a choice than to take it up with the jeweler. If it comes to that point I truly hope you can find a satisfactory outcome. Keep us updated.

 

[KirstLWA]

Gosh, no idea @SimoneDi but hope it is a quick and easy fix at home and if not, that you can find a speedy resolution with the Jeweler. So frustrating!

 

[SimoneDi]

@PintoBean, @Dancing Fire , @JDDN, @KirstLWA thanks again for your inputs! I will try the ammonia cleaning in the next couple of days and see how that goes. I am also going to be meeting with an independent appraiser soon to evaluate this setting.

 

[MissGotRocks]

Oh, wow, I am so sorry this has happened with the remake! You would hope that on the second go round it wouldn't leave the jeweler until it was perfect. I hope you get some answers soon!

 

[SimoneDi]

Oh, wow, I am so sorry this has happened with the remake! You would hope that on the second go round it wouldn't leave the jeweler until it was perfect. I hope you get some answers soon!

Thanks @MissGotRocks, yes one would hope that a jeweler would see the opportunity to remake as a way of proving the quality of their product, but unfortunately, that doesn’t appear to be the case here.

 

[SimoneDi]

Trying to take pics with a loupe and my iPhone is difficult, but here is one of the better ones. These are not inclusions.

 

[rockysalamander]

Thanks @MissGotRocks, yes one would hope that a jeweler would see the opportunity to remake as a way of proving the quality of their product, but unfortunately, that doesn’t appear to be the case here.

Barmarkian is a New England company that has an actual inhouse bench. You could check them out and see if they will look at the spots and give you some thoughts. They are a bit dismissive of rings they did not make, but they are solid for repairs. I had a great experience with a vintage ring where they did a prong repair for me.
https://www.barmakian.com/pages/locations

If your up for a long drive, I always love Northampton Jewelers. He's notoriously slow, but super friendly and has great workmanship. He has access to a laser welder (and great gemstone collection to share).
http://www.northamptonjewelersinc.com/

Not sure if either will be open on the 4th of july.

 

[justpeachy]

I asked a bench jeweler I've done some training with. He said steel tweezers will contaminate platinum and using them can leave black spots. Also, sometimes a cobalt alloy is used with platinum and it is magnetic and can cause discoloration during the annealing & soldering process.

 

[PintoBean]

I asked a bench jeweler I've done some training with. He said steel tweezers will contaminate platinum and using them can leave black spots. Also, sometimes a cobalt alloy is used with platinum and it is magnetic and can cause discoloration during the annealing & soldering process.

Wow - the "C" word. Does this mean that the only way to remedy this would be a remake?!?!